Anne Northup, the woman who held Kentuckys 3rd District congressional seat for a decade, wants to regain that job.

It will mark the third time Northup has been on the ballot in the last two years. She lost her two previous races.

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Her entry into this race is generating some fingerpointing in the GOP.

This is always going to be a difficult race for Republicans, said longtime Northup adviser Ted Jackson. It will always be a swing district, as they say.

Northup's first challenge will be to win the Republican primary, which includes developer Chris Thieneman, the front man for the campaign to defeat Metro Louisvilles library tax referendum last fall.

During that campaign, he was highly critical of Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson. Now he's taking aim at some of the top elephants in his own party -- Sen. Mitch McConnell, Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Jack Richardson and Northup  all of whom he claims, either through surrogates or themselves, tried to discourage him from running.

I have no knowledge of anyone suggesting to him not to run, said Richardson.

And Richardson said until Friday, he expected Thieneman was going to challenge Bob Henderson for his Metro Council seat. But when he found out Friday Thieneman was running for Congress through a supporter, he wished him good luck.

Primaries aren't a bad thing. That's something the Democrats have gotten used to over the years, and Republicans just have to get used to them also, Richardson said.

We're in a democracy, said Thieneman. People have a right to pick, and Im just giving them a choice.

Thieneman pointed out if he's ruffling feathers in his own party, Northup has also. Specifically, he notes the congresswoman's unsuccessful primary campaign against incumbent governor Ernie Fletcher irritated a lot of Republicans, and some of them blame her for Fletchers loss to Steve Beshear.

I'm sure Gov. Fletcher wasn't excited, but it's always different when the shoe is on the other foot, said Thieneman.

Whatever disagreement there may be in a primary, let me say clearly, we'll all be together and united in the fall in an effort to beat John Yarmuth, Jackson said.